Article
Ecology
Sarah K. Carter, Travis S. Haby, Jennifer K. Meineke, Alison C. Foster, Laine E. Mccall, Leigh D. Espy, Megan A. Gilbert, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Karen L. Prentice
Summary: Public land management agencies in the US are interested in using science to inform their decisions, but little research has been done on the specific types and topics of science information that managers need. By analyzing Environmental Assessments completed by the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado, this study identified four types of science information needed for decision making: data on resources of concern, scientific studies on potential effects of proposed actions, methods for quantifying potential effects, and effective mitigation measures. Focusing research efforts on these areas could enhance the science foundation for public lands decision making.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ian Silver-Gorges, Simona A. Ceriani, Matthew Ware, Megan Lamb, Margaret Lamont, Janice Becker, Raymond R. Carthy, Chris Matechik, Joseph Mitchell, Raya Pruner, Mike Reynolds, Bradley Smith, Caitlin Snyder, Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes
Summary: Efforts to focus on the most impactful disturbances at just five sites could increase annual hatchling production by 2.2-6.7% for the Northern Gulf of Mexico loggerheads. Ongoing efforts to mitigate washovers and washouts in Alabama may not be effective against tropical cyclones, which accounted for >80% of washouts in the present study. Further research is needed to understand the adverse side-effects of management actions on predation.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katharine R. E. Sims, Lucy G. Lee, Neenah Estrella-Luna, Margot R. Lurie, Jonathan R. Thompson
Summary: Substantial funding is allocated to new land protection, and access to protected open space is crucial for marginalized communities. The study shows disparities in the distribution of protected open space across social marginalization dimensions. A screening tool is developed to identify communities with high social marginalization and low nearby protected open space. Incorporating environmental justice criteria in conservation prioritization processes can shift patterns of future land protection.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Nathan J. Robinson, Daniel Garcia-Parraga, Brian A. Stacy, Alexander M. Costidis, Gabriela S. Blanco, Chelsea E. Clyde-Brockway, Heather L. Haas, Craig A. Harms, Samir H. Patel, Nicole I. Stacy, Andreas Fahlman
Summary: Through building a mathematical model and observing sea turtles in the wild, this study found that cardiac output plays a significant role in modulating gas embolism (GE) risk, especially in deeper dives. Sea turtles have a high risk of GE during routine diving behavior, indicating potential behavioral, anatomical, and physiological adaptations that were not incorporated in the model. Identifying and incorporating these adaptations in future iterations will further reveal the factors driving GE in sea turtles.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Micah Ashford, James Watling, Kristen Hart
Summary: Human use of oceans has increased dramatically in the 21st century, posing a significant threat to sea turtles. However, little is known about the interaction between movement and threats for male sea turtles. This study used satellite tagging to track 40 adult male sea turtles of different species and found that green turtles and Kemp's ridleys faced the highest threats in the northern and southern latitudes. The study also showed that marine protected areas (MPAs) could be an effective conservation tool in reducing threat exposure for sea turtles.
Article
Biology
Bianca S. Santos, Larry B. Crowder
Summary: Media plays a crucial role in informing individuals about less observable topics, such as remote environmental issues and wildlife. However, the media's disproportionate focus on threats like pollution and resource use in sea turtle conservation may not align with scientific consensus, potentially leading to public misinformation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Armando J. B. Santos, C. Bellini, E. A. P. Santos, G. Sales, R. Ramos, D. H. G. Vieira, M. A. Marcovaldi, Anthony Gillis, N. Wildermann, M. Mills, T. Gandra, M. M. P. B. Fuentes
Summary: The study found that the majority of high use areas for hawksbill turtles in Brazil are exposed to threats and not protected by MPAs, with a mismatch caused by lack of clear conservation goals, limited spatial information, and mismatch in conservation initiatives scale.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
L. M. Soanes, J. Johnson, K. Eckert, K. Gumbs, L. G. Halsey, G. Hughes, K. Levasseur, J. Quattro, R. Richardson, J. P. Skinner, S. Wynne, F. Mukhida
Summary: Historic over-exploitation and recent threats have put sea turtle populations in the Wider Caribbean at risk. Anguilla implemented a hunting ban to protect turtles, and scientific research combined with community perspectives supported the ban. Population estimates, migratory movements, and community opinions were examined.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Cesar Marcial Escobedo-Bonilla, Noelia Maria Quiros-Rojas, Esteban Rudin-Salazar
Summary: Sea turtles are vital members of marine ecosystems, and conservation efforts are crucial to protect them. Environmental enrichment is a valuable tool to improve the welfare of sea turtles in captivity and rehabilitation, increasing their chances of survival and integration back into the wild after release. Adopting environmental enrichment practices in rescue and rehabilitation facilities globally can help enhance individual survival and conservation efforts for endangered species.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Matteo Barbato, Carlo Zampieri, Simone D'Acunto, Maria Grazia Pennino, Alberto Barausse, Carlotta Mazzoldi
Summary: Elasmobranch species are declining globally due to fishery activities, including in the Mediterranean Sea. Identification of nursery grounds for species like the sandbar shark is crucial for effective conservation management. This study successfully identified a nursery site for early juveniles of the sandbar shark and predicted other potential nursery areas throughout the Mediterranean Sea using a species distribution model. The findings provide valuable information for conservation efforts and future monitoring.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Shreya M. Banerjee, Jamie Adkins Stoll, Camryn D. Allen, Jennifer M. Lynch, Heather S. Harris, Lauren Kenyon, Richard E. Connon, Eleanor J. Sterling, Eugenia Naro-Maciel, Kathryn McFadden, Margaret M. Lamont, James Benge, Nadia B. Fernandez, Jeffrey A. Seminoff, Scott R. Benson, Rebecca L. Lewison, Tomoharu Eguchi, Tammy M. Summers, Jessy R. Hapdei, Marc R. Rice, Summer Martin, T. Todd Jones, Peter H. Dutton, George H. Balazs, Lisa M. Komoroske
Summary: Transcriptomic data has demonstrated the utility of physiological diversity and responses to environmental stressors in marine turtles. The study generated high quality blood transcriptome assemblies for multiple turtle species, showing distinct gene expression signatures between species and foraging aggregations, providing valuable insights into functional genomics underlying diversity and evolutionary ecology in marine turtles.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Howard S. J. Roe, David Freestone, Fae Sapsford
Summary: The Sargasso Sea is a high seas ecosystem in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, supporting a diverse ocean ecosystem with floating macroalgae. It was designated as an Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (EBSA) a decade ago and this paper reviews the supporting scientific evidence and assesses any changes since then. It also evaluates the role of being an EBSA in conservation efforts.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Lynn M. Massey, Shannon Penna, Eric Zahn, Dan Lawson, Cassandra M. Davis
Summary: The East Pacific population of green sea turtles has been growing, leading to more sightings along the U.S. West Coast. Through citizen science data, it has been found that the green sea turtles reside near the San Gabriel River in California and are attracted to areas near wetlands and a power plant warm water effluent area for foraging and thermal refuge. Monitoring programs and understanding habitat needs are recommended to conserve this threatened population. Citizen science has proven beneficial in monitoring sea turtle populations in accessible habitats.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniel Solon Dias de Farias, Aline da Costa Bomfim Ventura, Flavio Jose de Lima Silva, Raquel Marinho de Souza Cavalcante, Silmara Rossi, Simone Almeida Gavilan, Vinicius Gabriel da Silva Santana, Viviane Souza do Amaral
Summary: Studies on quantification of anthropogenic marine debris (AMD) ingested by green turtles are rare. This study used the alimentary index (IAi) to classify and quantify AMD in stranded green turtles. The results showed that transparent soft plastic was an accessory item for all size groups and the second most frequent item for juvenile turtles (IAi = 0.23).
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Antoine M. Dujon, Gail Schofield, Roberto M. Venegas, Frederic Thomas, Beata Ujvari
Summary: The study found that the prevalence of fibropapillomatosis in green turtles was highest in areas where nutrient concentrations facilitated toxic phytoplankton blooms, while ultraviolet light exposure and the presence of parasitic and symbiotic species did not appear to impact disease prevalence. Management actions to reduce eutrophication in foraging areas should be implemented to counter outbreaks of fibropapillomatosis.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Edith Shum, Claudia Benham, Karina Jones, Ellen Ariel
Summary: Volunteers play a crucial role in the conservation of threatened species, but there is limited research on their motivations and strategies to attract and retain them. This study focuses on volunteers participating in marine turtle conservation in Queensland, Australia, and explores their motivations and values. By harmonizing insights from different theories, the study identifies common factors that influence volunteering decisions and provides valuable information for designing effective volunteer programs.
HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF WILDLIFE
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Sara Kophamel, Leigh C. Ward, Ellen Ariel, Diana Mendez, Lauren M. O'Brien, Lauren Burchell, Suzanne L. Munns
Summary: Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is gaining popularity in wildlife studies as a portable technology for immediate and nondestructive predictions of body composition components. This study aims to determine sources of error and provide a standardization protocol to improve measurement precision of BIA on juvenile green turtles.
PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pathology
Wytamma Wirth, Maria J. Forzan, Lin Schwarzkopf, Ellen Ariel
Summary: This study examined the pathogenesis of ranavirus infection in Krefft's river turtle hatchlings. The research found that the liver and spleen were the main targets of viral replication, and testing whole blood by qPCR was the most effective method for detecting the infection before death.
VETERINARY PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rebecca L. Diggins, Jessica Grimm, Diana Mendez, Karina Jones, Mark Hamann, Ian Bell, Ellen Ariel
Summary: Satellite trackers have been used to study sea turtle movement, but there is a lack of research on attaching trackers to juvenile turtles. This study confirmed the feasibility of an attachment method for small-sized juvenile hawksbill turtles, allowing them to grow without losing the tracker or damaging their scutes. This improved ability to track juvenile hawksbill turtles can contribute to our understanding of their ecology and assist in management and conservation efforts for this critically endangered species.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Brett R. Gardner, Jasmin Hufschmid, John Stenos, Mythili Tadepalli, Grace Sutton, Aymeric Fromant, Yonina Eizenberg, Johanna J. Geeson, John P. Y. Arnould
Summary: Recently, it has been found that Pacific gulls may act as vectors for Coxiella burnetii, a pathogen associated with decreased pup production in Australian fur seals. Samples collected from different islands revealed a high prevalence of the pathogen in gulls from a breeding colony, while gulls from an island without fur seals showed low amplification. This suggests that gulls may play a role in the spread of this pathogen.
Article
Infectious Diseases
God'spower Richard Okoh, Michelle Lockhart, Joanne Grimsey, David Whitmore, Ellen Ariel, Jeff Butler, Paul F. Horwood
Summary: Consensus PCR assays were developed to sensitively detect multiple herpesvirus species, using singleplex touchdown PCR with primers designed for the DPOL gene of alpha- and gamma-HVs, and the gB gene of beta-HVs. The STC-PCR could detect the DNA of eight human and 24 animal HVs, with lowest detection limits of 10(-5) for alpha-HVs and 10(-3) for beta- and gamma-HVs. Nested PCR had lower detection limits of 10(-5), 10(-3), and 10(-2) for alpha, beta-, and gamma-HVs, respectively. These findings suggest that STC-PCR assays can be used for molecular surveys and clinical detection of novel and known HVs.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Brajesh K. Singh, Zhen-Zhen Yan, Maxine Whittaker, Ronald Vargas, Ahmed Abdelfattah
Summary: An integrated science-policy-society interface is required to address One Health goals, with explicit considerations of soil microbiomes.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Stephanie M. Topp, Fintan Thompson, Karen Johnston, Deborah Smith, Alexandra Edelman, Maxine Whittaker, Christopher Rouen, Nishila Moodley, Malcolm McDonald, Ruth Barker, Sarah Larkins
Summary: Understanding the health status of a population or community is crucial for equitable service planning. This paper focuses on the challenges of health data in Australia and calls for greater democratization of health data to address health system inequities. Improved data quality and usability are needed to enable health planners and researchers to effectively respond to health and service disparities. Attention and investment in data quality and usability for all levels of health, disability, and service delivery in Australia are urgently needed.
Article
Microbiology
God'spower Richard Okoh, Ellen Ariel, David Whitmore, Paul F. Horwood
Summary: We report the draft genome sequence of a novel agile wallaby adenovirus detected in the fecal metagenome of agile wallabies. The genome is 31,512 bp long, with a G+C content of 34.4%. The pathogenic and zoonotic potential of this virus is currently unknown.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Brett R. Gardner, Nathan L. Bachmann, Adam Polkinghorne, Jasmin Hufschmid, Mythili Tadepalli, Marc Marenda, Stephen Graves, John P. Y. Arnould, John Stenos
Summary: A new genotype of Coxiella in Australian marine mammals, lacking IS1111 and with a distinct MLVA signature, has been identified in this study. This genotype may be a causative agent of abortion in Australian fur seals and poses a potential zoonotic risk.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Erica Marchiori, Andrea Gustinelli, Viola Vignali, Sara Segati, Simone D'Acunto, Silvia Brandi, Jose Luis Crespo-Picazo, Federica Marcer
Summary: This study investigated the presence of the copepod B. manatorum in C. caretta turtles from the Northwestern Adriatic Sea and studied the relationship between infection rates and the occurrence of DTS. The results showed that the copepod is a common epibiont of turtles in this region, and individuals with DTS are more frequently infected and have higher parasite burdens. Therefore, proper treatment should be given to debilitated turtles to prevent and mitigate the effects of the parasite.
VETERINARY SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Mark Brommeyer, Zhanming Liang, Maxine Whittaker, Mark Mackay
Summary: The research aims to develop the capability of health service managers in the digital health era, by studying the existing competency frameworks and identifying the competencies required for working and managing in the digital health context. It also explores the factors that enable or inhibit the development and demonstration of digital health competence in the workplace.
JMIR RESEARCH PROTOCOLS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Brett R. R. Gardner, John P. Y. Arnould, Jasmin Hufschmid, Rebecca R. R. McIntosh, Aymeric Fromant, Mythili Tadepalli, John Stenos
Summary: This study successfully surveyed for Coxiella burnetii in Australian fur seal breeding colonies using environmental DNA (eDNA) technology and found a higher prevalence in the Seal Rocks colony compared to the Kanowna Island colony. Additionally, it highlighted knowledge gaps in the disease ecology and phylogeny of C. burnetii in marine mammals.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sara Kophamel, Donna Rudd, Leigh C. Ward, Edith Shum, Ellen Ariel, Diana Mendez, Jemma Starling, Renee Mellers, Richard K. Burchell, Suzanne L. Munns
Summary: This study aimed to establish reference intervals (RIs) for blood parameters of green turtles using Bayesian modeling. The RIs were found to be comparable to previously published values and had narrower credible intervals. Most blood analytes did not vary significantly with foraging ground, body mass, or curved carapace length. However, length and body mass effects were observed for certain analytes, and significant differences between foraging grounds were found for several blood parameters. The derived RIs will be useful for future population health assessments and conservation efforts.
CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Karina Jones, Colin J. Limpus, Jon Brodie, Rhondda Jones, Mark Read, Edith Shum, Ian P. Bell, Ellen Ariel
Summary: This study presents the first comprehensive report on the prevalence of fibropapillomatosis (FP) in Queensland, Australia. The analysis of capture records showed that FP prevalence varies between sites and years, with juvenile turtles being the most affected. The study also attempted to develop water quality indices (WQIs) to compare with FP prevalence, but limitations in data and methodology posed challenges in establishing a relationship.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2022)
